Car-seal



Patented Jan/3|, I899. s. A. FOSTER.

CAR SEAL.

(Application filed Mar. 26, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. FOSTER, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

CAR-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,500, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed March 26,1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. FosTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at T0- ledo, county of Lucas, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Sealing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sealing devices for freight-cars and like inclosures, and is designed to indicate with certainty any unauthorized opening of the car. It is of that class in which a strip is made to connect some fixed and movable parts and to be itself connected at'the ends, so that the ends cannot be separated without rupture.

My invention is designed as an improve ment in such strips, so as to render the rupture certain without complication of parts or specially complicated tools for making the connection of the parts and with the greatest cheapness of construction.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the strip in plan view. Fig. 2 shows an edge View of the same. Fig. 3 shows a section of the completed loop, the parts connected being in dotted lines.

In the drawings, A represents the strip, which is formed of sheet metal, preferably the ordinary tin sheet of commerce. It is usually made thin and stamped out in the form shown as a plain narrow strip, with the ends cut to form a neck a and a narrow ring b, connected therewith. The ring is made as narrow as possible consistently with the formation of a look, as herein described. One ring is made plain. The other, b,is formed with a flange 0, like an eyelet, which flange fits exactly into Serial No- 675,273. (No model.)

the ring at the other end of the strip. When so placed, the eyelet-flange is upset by an ordinary eyelet instrument, and the flange of b is thus turned down over the ring 6, forming one ring, which isconnected on both sides to the body of the strip by the neck a. As the ring I) is only wide enough to receive the turned-over flange of b, the connected ends cannot be pulled apart without rupture of the rings. It is impossible to pull the eyelet of I) out of the ring 1) without such rupture, and thus the break cannot be concealed, and the proper authorities are'advised if the seal has been tampered with.

I am aware that the lapped ends of plain strips have been punched to connect them, as shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 210,746 to Brewster, dated December 10, 1878.

I claim 1. The sealing-strip of sheet metal having a plain ring at one end connected to the body of the strip by a neck a, and a ring formed with an open eyelet-flange at the other, fitted to the ring first mentioned, substantially as described.

2. The sealing-strip of sheet metal having rings at each end, said rings being connected to the, bodyof the strip by necks, one ring be ing plain and the other ring being formed with an open eyelet-flange fitted to the plain ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN A. FOSTER. Witnesses:

FREDERIcK B. WILLARD, MARK WINCHESTER. 

